According to a note from Eastern European Gaming, since a new Romanian gambling law went into effect recently, the country has seen an influx of companies willing to comply with the new regulations, even if it means paying “back taxes” on some activities that took place before the rules became law.

In the last three months some 13 operators have received provisional licenses and the list is growing. Industry leading names such as PokerStars, 888 Holdings, Sportingbet, Betfair, and Unibet, along with several lesser known pioneers can now legally tap a market in Romania that has already surpassed that of Bulgaria for instance.

Local players are said to be excited about the possibilities for placing a bet with their favorite international brands with full confidence in a regulatory scheme that assures fair play. The market is obviously rich enough, seeing the penalties paid by some to enter.

Some operators chose to forego the market, refusing to pay back-taxes on up to five years of unlicensed operations in a jurisdiction that previously did not offer a comprehensive license. Others still are operating in grey and black areas of the law. Although many have since pulled out or paid up and negotiated provisional licenses, in early July the Romanian government issued a blacklist containing the names of 48 mostly well-known betting companies.